Future Memories
by pwoutagonist
Summary: AU Modern School. Rivaille is a P.E teacher and Petra is a classics teacher. Fluffy.


**Sorry it's been a while since I've posted anything! Real life has caught up with me and I have been super busy. School is coming up and updates will be a lot slower. However, I do hope you enjoy this super long fic I worked on. It's fluffy and sweet, and I hope you enjoy it~**

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Putting folders and files away, the classics teacher quickly cleaned up her desk before hurrying out of her class with a clipboard and pen. Normally she would remain in her class until four, grading papers, but today was different. Her childhood friend and coworker asked her to watch over his class while he was at home with the flu. It was a hot day, but she paid no mind to it.

"Ah look, it's Petra-sensei!" The students who were goofing around on the football field in their P.E gear pointed and cheered when they saw their substitute walk over. "Thank goodness! Today was cardio day!" They sighed in relief and made their way over to the bleachers where she was heading.

With a smile, Petra took the pen and brought down on the clipboard. "Alright, please line up. I need to take role before you go out and play." She said, reading over the neat handwritten notes left by the P.E teacher. "You're supposed to…run a mile…then play soccer afterwards in teams of three?" The students nodded, groaning once they heard they still had to run.

"Sensei, it's hot outside. Can we not run today?" One of the students pleaded, donning a saddened expression. Petra blinked. It surely was quite hot outside…surely Rivaille wouldn't mind…Once the substitute gave her okay, they all cheered as they stood in line. The blond smiled, looking down the list of names. She recognized some of them from her class.

"Mikasa Ackerman?" A silent hand went in the air and Petra checked off her name. "Armin Arlert?" Another silent hand. "Marco Bodt?" A freckled boy waved his presence. "Sasha Braus?" Petra blinked; was the girl eating? With a sigh, she continued down the list of names. "Eren Jaeger?" An angry looking boy shouted that he was here, running off to prep the field with the other classmates. "Jean Kirschtein?" Another loud shout before he too sprinted off. "Christa Renz?" A short blond girl spoke up with a cheery voice, sticking around as if she were waiting for someone.  
"Connie Springer?" Petra didn't realize that a shaved head was a new style for young kids. "Ymir…?" There was no last name. A tall freckled girl waved silently before running off with the blond girl from before

With a sigh, she sat down on the metal bleachers, signing the bottom of the attendance sheet. It was long before the students had picked teams and started to play. They were all shouting and cheering as they ran around enthusiastically. The hour went by fast, and Petra was fully amused by the small group of misfits. A few of them were in her class, so she giggled whenever they scored and celebrated exuberantly.

Once class was over, she grabbed the board and walked over to the office. She turned the attendance sheet in before walking back to her own classroom. Petra still had an hour before she could go home and make dinner. Then the thought of her sick colleague clouded her mind as she sat back down at her desk. Perhaps she should make enough dinner for two.

The last hour of her work day went by quickly and she packed all of her things into her bag. Making sure to lock the classroom door, she walked to her car and set her things inside. Then she drove to her house, leaving her schoolwork there as she began to prepare dinner. She didn't have much, but enough to make a hearty stew. It would be good for Rivaile too since he was sick.

Once the stew was done, she grabbed two plastic containers and filled them with the food. Petra then sealed them both, placed it in a bag, and headed out to her car again. Her friend's house was only a few minutes away, and she parked on the curb in front of the complex. Her cheeks grew a big pink as she walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. She could hear shuffling from the other side of the door.

"Hanji, I don't have any fucking sa—" As the door swung open, the older male blinked as he noticed that his neighbor was not standing in front of his door but his coworker. "Ah, Petra, I hope I didn't trouble you today." The blond smiled, shaking her head.

"It's no problem! You rarely ever call in sick, and your students were great today." Se held up the bag in front of her chest. "Since you were sick, I brought some food over because you probably couldn't make it yourself. As if on cue, the man turned his head away and sneezed. The man opened the door, gesturing her to come inside. She took her shoes off by the front door and padded inside. It had been a long time since she had been inside his home, but it still was as clean as ever.

Setting the bag on the kitchen counter, she brought the two containers out and placed them down. "I made beef stew; I hope it's too your liking, Rivaille-san." Petra said with a cheery smile before setting the bag down. "Ah, I didn't bring spoons." She frowned at herself for forgetting something so crucial. And she wanted to use plastic utensils so the man wouldn't have to wash dishes later.

"It's fine. I got plenty." The sick man walked over to a drawer and gave her a spoon while sitting on the chair. He looked at the soup quite hungrily; he had porridge earlier that morning because his neighbor Hanji could hear his coughing from next door. Thankfully Petra came over, otherwise he'd be eating instant ramen since he'd be too tired to cook. Slowly he brought the stew-filled spoon to his mouth, swallowing the contents. He nodded as he glanced over at Petra, who began eating as well. "It's really good, Petra. My compliments to the chef."

The blond teacher smiled, waving her hand in front of her face. "It's nothing special. I'm glad it's edible." She replied with a gentle blush on her cheeks. Rivaille returned her smile with one of his own, thought not as bright as hers.

"I wish you could cook dinner for me every night." Petra almost dropped her spoon as her face heated up. She couldn't even meet his eyes, but she could feel his heavy gaze lingering on her. Petra opened her mouth, but no sounds came out. Rivaille went back to his soup. "I'm sorry you had to come all of this way just to make me dinner." He took a deep breath. "I don't want you to end up sick like me." He got off his chair, taking the container to the sink.

"Ah, it's nothing, really! I really wanted to…make dinner for you…Rivaille-san." She smiled as she took her container. "Let me wash dishes tonight. You should get some rest." Petra said, giving him a smile before taking a sponge and some soap to the sink so she could wash the empty dishes. He didn't budge for a minute, but eventually gave in. Rivaille moved to the hallway towards his bedroom.

"Petra…" She whirled around with heated cheeks. "Thanks. I'm truly happy that I got to taste your cooking." He paused slightly. "And that I got to see your face." He didn't say a word more before padding to his room, ready to go back to sleep. Thankfully he wasn't in the room to see her red cheeks. Soon enough everything was washed and dried, and she put the containers back in her bag.

Feeling a bit curious, she cautiously walked to his room, slowly opening the door. It was dark and very cold in the room. She noticed the window was open, and she walked quietly to close it. What if he caught another cold. There was a bucket near his bed and a rag on his forehead. Making sure not to wake him, she carefully took the rag off, noticing it was warm and the water was murky. She couldn't just leave him like this.

Petra took the bucket and rag to the bathroom where she emptied and washed the dirty tub and filled it with fresh, clean water. She set the rag inside what she assumed to be a hamper and searched the cabinets for a clean one. Then, she took them back in his room quietly soaking the rag in the water. Once it was all wrung out, she folded it and wiped his face lightly. Then she rinsed it once more and placed the fresh rag on his forehead with a light smile.

Rivaille looked like he was sleeping soundly and she tiptoed out of the room and quietly grabbed her things before leaving his apartment. Once she left, the man opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling with a smile. "Hmmm…" He sighed and fell back asleep.

The next day Petra was in a mini crisis. She hadn't realized just how hot it was the other day, and she awoke with sore shoulders and arms. They were all bright red and painful to the touch. The blond looked through her cabinets for some aloe vera, but didn't find anything. She had to wear a jacket to class today to cover up the red skin.

Thankfully none of her students noticed, but someone else did. She heard a knock on her door before it opened, revealing the P.E teacher. "Ah, Rivaille-san! You're back! Are you feeling better?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets and sat on the desk in front of hers.

"Yeah, thanks to a certain someone." Her cheeks were about as red as his shoulders, which the older man noticed. "Thanks for taking care of my class yesterday. I'm truly grateful." She smiled, waving her hand in front of her face. Rivaille noticed that little habit of hers, and mentally chuckled to himself. As she turned her neck to the side, he saw red on her skin. He also found it strange for her to be wearing a long sleeved shirt to school. "Petra…" He leaned forward, hands pointing to her chest. "Take off your jacket." She blushed heavily and gasped.

"W-what? Rivaille-san—"

"Just do it." Feeling embarrassed but unable to avoid the man, she slowly took her jacket off, showing him her sunburnt skin. Rivaille frowned and stared at her for a moment before leaving her class. She blinked, staring at the door. Before she had time to put her jacket back he came back, a small bottle in his hand. Petra wasn't able to speak as he stood behind her chair, his strong hand keeping her from whirling around. "This is my fault, so let me help you this time." There was no way she could protest.

Rivaille poured the gel on his hands before carefully placing them on her shoulders. She squeaked lightly, and he apologized as he massaged her skin with it. He was trying his best to be gentle, wishing his hands weren't so calloused and rough. Though it did hurt a little, Petra did feel a warmth and a softness from him that caused her cheeks to match her arms. It was a simple gesture, but she'd never had such close, intimate contact with anyone before, let alone her childhood friend.

As his hands moved down her arms, his head was right behind her. She could feels his warm breath fanning over her neck, causing her to stiffen. They were so close, and it was almost too much for the blond teacher. She felt like she could melt into a puddle of goo right in her chair. But she never did, and gentle hands caressed her bare skin. And she never wanted it to stop.

"Let it dry before putting your jacket back on, Petra." She nodded, turning in her chair to give him a sincere smile.

"Thank you, Rivaille-san." Before they could continue with a conversation, the bell rang, signaling the start of classes. He sighed, internally groaning.

"See you after school, Petra." He waved at her before leaving her classroom a bit hesitantly. She smiled, slowly putting her jacket back on. Students poured into her classroom, all carrying mischievous smiles on their faces. She raised a brow, but didn't address the issue.

Petra collected homework and handed out some worksheets for them to do since they were ahead of schedule in their lessons. Worksheets would keep them company for a while before she assigned new material. As she sat down, one of the boys raised their hand.

"Yes, Jean?" She asked from behind her desk, wondering what kind of question he had for her. The boy grinned.

"Ne, Petra-sensei…do you like Rivaille-sensei?" Her cheeks gre hot as she stood up in a panic, quite flustered by the student's question. But she wasn't given time to respond as another student chipped in.

"Yeah, he was massaging your shoulders today!"

"Are you close with him, sensei?"

Petra was extremely flustered. Her and Rivaille were childhood friends, that was all! But why did she need to defend herself? Surely what these kids suspected was merely speculation, so why was she trying to create reasons to counter their arguments? It was a difficult concept for the teacher to comprehend, and she didn't know how to respond to them

Luckily for her, the phone rang. She picked it up in a rush. "Yes, Petra speaking." The students stared in silence as she carried on a conversation with whoever was on the other line. "Yes, of course. I'll let him know." She hung up and scanned her class.

"Eren Jaeger, your father is here to pick you up." The boy stood up with an already packed bag and nodded, voicing his goodbyes as he fled the room. With an exhausted sigh, she sat back down, rubbing her temples. A headache was brewing close, and she fished through her desk for some Advil. Once she found the bottle, she took two pills with her water bottle, hoping the pain would go away soon.

The bell rang, signaling the end of her last class of the day. Thankfully the students didn't press the issue any further as they scurried out. There was one more period for the students, but Petra had nothing for the last two hours of the day. It was a perfect time to grade the tests that she was already behind on.

Fifty papers filled with red marks later, and the blond was exhausted. It was almost five in the evening, and almost everyone had already left the campus. She never realized that teaching high school literature would be so tiring so often. She truly enjoyed her work, however, so the suffering was minimal. Resting her head on the desk, Petra closed her eyes. A little nap wouldn't hurt. She could get home late and have leftover stew.

When she awoke, the blond could smell something amazing. Stirring slightly, her eyes fluttered open and her gaze fell onto a plate of food sitting on her desk. Surprised, she sat up quickly, realizing she wasn't alone. "R-rivaille-san?" She blinked, brown eyes wide.

"You were sleeping, so I went to grab take-out." The man was sitting on a chair in front of her desk, running his hand through his dark locks. "It's not homemade, but it is your favorite place, right?" Petra took one more glance down at the food in front of her. She recognized it immediately and her cheeks heated up.

_"Are you going home, Rivaille-kun?" The senior shook his head, staying silent. The blond smiled. "Then want to get an early dinner? My dad wont be home to make dinner, and I'm a bit hungry." The older male stared at her for a moment before shrugging, sticking close to the young girl. She smiled brightly._

_"Why not? 'S not like I got anyone waiting for me at home either." Petra reached over, resting her hand on his shoulder, trying to console him._

_"Do you like curry?" The male blinked._

_"I've never had it." Petra gasped a little. With a small huff, she grabbed his hand and dragged him into town. "Oi, Petra! What are you—" She didn't turn around, heading straight down the sidewalk. He watched the back of her head, blond hair waving a little in the evening breeze. And when she let go, they had stopped in front of a small shop run by an elderly couple._

_There was no sign, but the smell of delicious food was coaxing enough. He followed his friend inside, noting about how small it was. The owners seemed to recognize her as she sat down near the kitchen, and he followed suit. Rivaille blinked at the happiness emanating from her._

_"I really love the curry here. When I first came here, I was little. I was crying about something, so the owners made me onigiri shaped like a panda." The blond chuckled and smiled. "I've never had it any other way since." A few minutes lady the elder lady carried over two plates of curry. And just like she mentioned, Petra's riced was in the form of a cute panda. He chuckled slightly; it really suited her. _

"I can't believe you remembered…" Petra whispered, looking down at the familiar dish. The male laughed.

"How can I forget? We went there at least once a week." Rivaille slid over his own box of food, splitting his chopsticks. "Don't be shy now, Petra. Eat up." She nodded, trying not to tear up as she split her own chopsticks before diving in. Thankfully he did come, because she might have had to have instant noodles. She truly felt grateful for such a close friend.

_Friend…_The word swirled through her mind as eat, bouncing around as if she was unsure of what they truly were. Just friends? Coworkers? Maybe something a little more? It truly was a coincidence when she applied to work at the high school and Rivaille already taught there. Petra wasn't sure if she believed in such as a thing as fate or destiny. It just seemed too good to be true.

The teacher was so lost in thought that she didn't realize that Rivaille had been staring at her the entire time she ate. He was enthralled with how serious and calm her expression was as she slowly took pieces of meat and vegetables with her chopsticks and into her mouth. Her pink cheeks were tinted slightly, and he couldn't tell whether or not she was wearing make-up or she was just a little hot. Either way, he found her quite cute that he too had become unaware of his thoughts and actions. As she set her chopsticks down, he found the perfect opportunity.

Leaning over the desk, her eyes were looking down as Rivaille made his move. There shouldn't have been anyone still on campus since it was so late, but even if someone was lurking around, he couldn't care less. All he wanted was those soft pinks on his own. And that's exactly what he got as their lips collided, gently. The blond was brought out of her thoughts as Rivaille's lips met her own, and her chocolate brown eyes opened wide. Petra was unsure of what she should do, but she felt so embarrassed that she pulled away abruptly, cheeks fully flushed.

"R-rivaille…why?" It wasn't as if she didn't like it; she was just confused. He kept his heavy gaze on her.

"Isn't it obvious?" He took a deep breath, still leaning over the desk. "I like you, Petra." His words stunned her into silence and he took advantage again, sealing their lips once more. It was shorter this time, and Rivaille was the one to pull away. The blond become troubled with choosing her words.

"D-don't I…I mean…I haven't brushed my teeth!" Rivaille deadpanned. "D-doesn't it…taste like…c-curry?" Honestly, that was what she was worried about? He honestly found it quite amusing. Chuckling slightly, he stood up and walked around the desk to face her. Rivaille stood inches from her in her chair, staring down at her.

It had been a long time since the man had smiled. Work and an annoying neighbor didn't really help. The only time he remembered being so carefree and lighthearted was back in high school with his best friend. He never saw her after graduation, and he almost didn't recognize her when she came to the school. And ever since then, he'd been attracted to her like a magnet. He'd never been good with his emotions; Petra was always the one who brought it out of him, so ideas like "love" and "happily ever after" were strange to the male. Rivaille didn't care what the feeling in his chest was every time his eyes met with hers. All he wanted was to have her in his arms, right this instant. He wanted to kiss her, taste her, and tell her everything was going to be okay. Even if their future looked grim and the road was long and rocky, he'd make sure that she was always happy, no matter the situation. And in his mind, "love" was too small of a word to encompass all of his feelings for the blond.

Slowly, he leaned down, a warm hand caressing her even warmer cheeks. He could almost feel her heartbeat in the slight touch. She stiffened a little, but seemed a bit more relaxed from before. Her eyes were glistening, almost enchanting the man

"I like you, Petra, so little things like curry breath don't matter to me." He leaned closer, their faces inches apart. "I just hope you won't mind my curry breath either." Rivaille closed his eyes, pressing their lips together. He tilted his head to the side, sticking his tongue out to sweep gently across her pink lips. She gasped, allowing him to slip his tongue inside her mouth, gliding gently around her own. Petra was extremely nervous once she felt his tongue, hand immediately clutching his shoulders to hold on to something tangible. She figured flapping her arms was very unattractive.

The sudden confession from the man was a surprise to her. All this time had he harbored feelings for her without her knowing? Had she herself had feelings for him all along? Did it start when she came to this school, or was it before that? It really didn't matter at this point as they pulled away slightly, both gasping for air. Rivaille's heavy gaze made the teacher want to melt into a puddle of mush. He reached down to grab her hand, holding it tightly. His eyes told her all she needed to know.

"Today is a Friday. We don't have classes tomorrow." Petra blinked. "Do you…want to come over?" She blushed. "I have wine." Surely it was an innocent inquiry, not having at deeper meaning behind it. But Petra's mind went pretty far south, more so than Rivaille's. However, she did nod, averting her eyes slightly. He didn't sense until later though. They cleaned up their mess, throwing the trash away and walking to their cars. They kissed as they parted, Petra following the man to his apartment. She was extremely nervous, thankful that she wore clean undergarments that day.

They both sat at the traditional kotatsu in the living room. Rivaille brought a bottle of wine along with two glasses. Petra wasn't much of a drinker, so her pinks were cheek by the first glass. She slowly sipped on the second one as they reminisced about their past. Rivaille, on the other hand, could hold his alcohol very well. It was almost as if it didn't affect him. He had about three, but the wine wasn't the reason that his face was red and why he was laughing. Just being with the blond caused all of his pent up emotions to fly out of him, their bond strengthening with each second. Their legs brushed against each other multiple times under the kotatsu, but they didn't mind. For a few moments, they even started playing footsie.

Once midnight rolled around, both of them were exhausted. Work was tiring enough, but a little wine and a couple fits of laughter was plenty to cause the two to want to head straight for bed. This was where Petra became a little nervous. Did Rivaille want to…she couldn't even think of the words in her head. Seeing the blond flustered about his suggestion to go to bed, he sighed and leaned down next to her.

"Ya don't have t' worry, Petra." His drawl was starting to show after having a few glass of wine. "I won't harm ya or touch ya in a way ya don't like." Rivaille reassured her, slipping one hand on her back and one behind her knees. He picked her up like a princess, holding her close to his chest. "I just wanna hold ya, and wake up with ya in my arms." His hot breath tickled her nose. "'S that alright?" She couldn't form a verbal answer as her head slowly nodded, hands clutching onto his shirt.

Carefully, the man carried her to his room, setting her down on the bed. "Ya can wear some of clothes if ya don't want t' sleep in jeans." He said, pointing to her attire. "Let me know when I can come back in." Then he walked out and shut the door so she could change without feeling too embarrassed. She slowly took off her jeans and shirt, folding them into a neat pile on the chair. Now she was conflicted. Was it too daring to go in just her bra and underwear? Should she just wear some of his pants? Nervously she treaded over to his closet, looking through his neatly organized. She found his P.E shirt from their old high school, and she smiled. Surely it hadn't been worn in years, but it brought back good memories. Petra took the shirt and slipped it on, noticing it reached down almost to her knees. It was long enough to cover up everything, so she went to the door and opened it.

Rivaille was standing with his back against the wall, arms crossed against his chest. He turned his head to meet hers, and her face heated. He wasn't wearing a shirt, solely donning long black boxer briefs. She was definitely not looking below his waist. "Um, you can come in now." Rivaille gave her a quick smile before walking in after her. She stood there a little awkwardly, unsure of how they were going to sleep together. Sensing her hesitation, he silently walked over to her, pulling her back to his chest. He turned around and sat down slowly, trying not to shock her too much. Then he laid down on his side, pulling the blond to his chest. She squeaked slightly, a bit nervous from their intimacy. But the blankets were pulled over them, and her head suddenly felt heavy. She was a lot more tired than she thought. Petra could feel the man's warm and gentle breath against the nape of her neck, and it was surprisingly soothing.

"I'm sorry for…suddenly springin' this on ya, but I'm really glad ya came t' see me." Rivaille whispered, chocolate hues widening slightly. "Thanks, Petra." A pair of hot lips brushed over the back of her neck. "I love ya…" But she didn't hear it. She was already fast asleep. But she would have ten years' worth of chances to hear it.

Ten years was surely a long time, but it wasn't forever. It was the beginning. As Petra's eyes opened early in the morning, she felt two heavy weights on her legs. And it wasn't the man sleeping next to her. "Elise? Oliver?" Two high-pitched voices giggled in harmony, fully awakening the woman from her slumber. She smiled as the two toddlers crawled over to her.

"We go to zoo today?" The blond boy asked, big teeth shining in excitement. She smiled and nodded, ruffling the boy's head. The girl crawled on top of the sleeping man's back, burying her face in the mess of dark hair. She giggled happily.

"Daddy! Zoo! Zoo!" She chanted, and her twin brother joined in on the fun. Petra smiled at them, laughing a little when the male groaned as he was abruptly brought out of his deep sleep. Rivaille turned around to lie on his back, putting his arms around his two enthusiastic kids. He sighed a little, patting their heads lightly.

"Ely, Ollie, ya know your mother and I haven't slept much, right?" They both tilted their heads a bit. "We want to go to the zoo, but we're tired too." They both looked a bit sad, but he kept his arms around them. "We still have a lot o' time, so can ya let Mommy and I sleep a bit more, hmm?" They both smiled and crawled between their parents, hiding under the covers. Their little heads poked out barely, closing their eyes. Petra smiled a little, playing with their hair as they both almost immediately went back to sleep.

She looked over at Rivaille, who was watching them sleep between them. "I was afraid they would cry, but I'm glad they didn't." Petra whispered with a smile, slipping back beneath the blanket and resting her head on the pillow. Rivaille smiled, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"I don't think I could live with myself if I ever made them cry." He admitted, glancing down at the small sleeping bodies. Rivaille laughed a bit. "Whenever the kids at school goof off, I just want to yell at them until they learn their lesson, but…" His arm rested protectively over the toddlers. "I don't think I could ever be mad at these two." Petra nodded in understanding, moving her hand to clasp the male's lightly. "It must be a parent thing, huh?" Petra smiled, but she was too tired to respond. She only hummed in approval, lacing their fingers together. Rivaille took it as a sign to stop talking, because all four of them were tired. He laid his head down on the pillow too, his eyes gazing at his three most important people in the world.

It was a strange thought to imagine himself as a parent, but reality was catching up to him quickly. He felt as if he didn't deserve the happiness that his wife and kids brought him. But Rivaille was just as glad to have them in his life, because he didn't think he could live on without them. The thought of losing any one of them was unbearable, something pushed far back in his mind and under a dusty, neglected tombstone.

The joy in this very moment of his life was enough to overshadow all of the future worries. Petra and Rivaille couldn't be happier. With the warmth of each other assuring them of their life, it was enough. They didn't need forever or a happily ever after. All they needed was now.

And it was enough.


End file.
